>> this is the "journal." i'm richard walker. >> i'm ariane de hoog. the race for the white house seats up as mitt romney takes the fight to president obama in their first tv debate -- heat s up as mitt romney takes the fight to president obama in their first tv debate. >> michael schumacher announces

his retirement. we do not want war, but we will protect our borders. that is the message from turkey after 24 hours that saw it launch multiple attacks on syria and a green light from lawmakers for more to damage the u.s. state department said it considered -- for more. >> the u.s. state department said it considered turkey's response to be proportionate. thursday morning, turkey launched a second round of shelling. some reports say several syrian soldiers were killed. >> the retaliation came after five turkish civilians were killed after syrian mortar fire. turkey says that syria has now apologized for that incident and has promised it would not happen again. >> it is a small turkish town bordering war-torn syria. it has come under the line of

fire. syrian borders struck a residential neighborhood, killing five civilians -- syrian mortars struck a residential neighborhood, killing five civilians. cross-border buyer has struck 37 times since the start of the syrian uprising -- cross-border fire has struck turkey several times since the start of the syrian uprising. the government says this bill is not a declaration of war against syria. >> turkey is not a country that wants war. it is a country that wants peace, but we're also a part of a country that is visible -- capable of doing what is necessary when a dictatorial regime violates the sovereignty of our country. >> turkey is ramping up its military presence along the syrian border. turkish troops launched

retaliatory strikes on thursday, targeting syrian bases in the region. the deadly mortars are believed to have been fired from there. the people in turkey are hoping the chaos in syria will not spiral into a wider conflict. >> there has been jostling argument -- on the u.n. security council on how to respond to this situation. turkey's allies want a statement condemning the action by the syrians. >> western diplomats complained that russia's proposals would weaken the statement to an unacceptable degree. >> all sides have been voicing grave concern at the syrian civil war spilling over into the wider region. >> chancellor angela merkel expressed regret for the loss of life in turkey.

she urged both sides to show discretion. >> we call on all parties to remain level headed. but it is clear that germany condemned the syrian attacks on germany -- on turkey. we stand beside turkey. >> stern countries were united in saying that the conflict cannot -- western countries were united in saying that the conflict cannot be allowed to spill over into neighboring countries. >> we do not want to see a continuing escalation of this incident. >> but syria's ally, russia, took a different tack. foreign minister certification a blackrock said the fault did not lie with -- foreign minister sergei lavrov said the fall did not lie with syria. -- the fault did not lie with syria.

>> for more, we are joined by an analyst. thank you for coming in. turkey and its nato allies are treating this attack as a deliberate one. the original mortar fire. russia obviously disagrees. what do you think? >> i cannot think this was a deliberate attack. that would be very unwise in terms of syrian policy making. i think this was an error, so to speak. we are speaking about the civil war situation. there are many people pointing their guns at each other. it is very possible that this turkish lira was not targeted, but the syrian -- that this turkish and village was not targeted, but the syrian -- that is turkish millage -- that this turkish viillage -- village was not targeted. president bashar al-assad is --

for the time being, he is not really -- he does not want to see this. the russians and the chinese would not support such a move. it is not in the syrian interest to act in a very aggressive manner. the turks are very nervous. they have seen border violations on several occasions. let's not forget that back in june, two planes were shot down by the syrians. the turks are very nervous about these developments. >> are you saying that the situation will likely not escalate? >> i do not think the situation will escalate for the time being. neither side is interested in escalation. of course, turkey is using very strong language. that is a matter of national honor, so to speak. but these revenge attacks we have seen carried out by turkey on syrian territory today helps cool down the mood. neither side is really wishing to see a further deterioration

of the situation. for this reason, you will see a calming down of the situation. >> do you think what happened in turkey could be used by nato as a pretext for getting involved in the conflict? >> theoretically, yes. i do not think nato is interested in getting involved. all members of nato are fully aware that the civil war in syria it is very complex. it is not very easy to foresee which side is going to win this war. there is no need a country interested in being drawn into -- no nato country interested in being drawn into a protracted war in syria. for now, everything will calm down. as long as the syrians are killing each other, it is all right by the nato perspective. nobody is interested in seeing our regional conflict involving -- seeing a regional conflict evolving. >> reports say that an attack has killed 21 members of an

elite military unit in syria. fighting continues elsewhere in the country. >> army shelling and helicopter gun fire killed 16 civilians and rebel-held village in the central hama province. in aleppo, a series of bombings targeted government forces that left dozens dead. >> on to other news, german chancellor angela merkel has held talks with the mn's president in berlin -- with the men -- with yemen's president in berlin. merkel pledged more aid, particularly to improve education and water supplies. germany is one of yemen's biggest financial backers. since 2011, it has given 120 million euros to the government, which it considers a key ally for steep -- for stability in the region. >> we turn to the u.s.

it is around one to mitt romney in the first president a candidate debate -- it is round one to mitt romney in the first presidential candidate debate. >> it was not a game changer that the republican challenger was looking for. >> president obama was quick out of the starting blocks, criticizing romney on education, taxes, and his budget plans. >> he is saying that he is going to pay for it by closing loopholes and deductions. the problem is that he has been asked over a hundred times how you would close those deductions and loopholes and he has not been able to identify -- >> the economy took center stage for most of the evening. romney accused obama of a lack of focus in his priorities. >> i do not know how the president could come into office facing 23 million people out of work, rising

unemployment, and spend his energy and passion, for two years, fighting for obama care, instead of fighting for jobs for the american people. it has killed jobs. >> the president defended his national health care program and he called romney the wrong man to stave off future financial crises. >> does anybody out there think that the big problem we had is that there was too much oversight and regulation of wall street? because if you do, then governor romney is your candidate. >> romney has been trailing obama in the polls. it remains to be seen whether his debate performance will change the presidential race. >> the european central bank is keeping interest rates at an historic low of 0.75%, resisting pressure for cuts to boost the ailing eurozone economy. the ecb president, mario draghi, said the bank is ready to help

buy eurozone bonds to help troubled eurozone member countries. how did the markets react to the latest developments? our correspondent sent us this report from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> inflation has spiked. it is a surprising development. one that has probably prevented the ecb from lowering rates in the eurozone in this month of october. what is more, mario draghi, the president of the ecb, does not expect inflation to come down significantly until next year. still, though the economy is in recession, perhaps rate cut are still a possibility in the eurozone. nonetheless, the situation irritated the markets. the stock market was not able to do much. it did strengthen the euro. that really went up, probably not least because of the

statement also by mario draghi that the ecb would be ready today to start its bond buying program -- if spain does request help from the esm and fulfills the conditions. >> let's take a closer look at the numbers. the dax ended the day 1/4 of 1% down. euro stoxx 50 slowed about the same amount. across the land to, the dow jones is currently going up -- across the atlantic, the dow jones is currently going up. >> italy is sitting on an even bigger mess -- mountain of debt than previously thought. officials have revised the tally upwards to 120.7% of gdp for last year. >> next year, the government expects it to increase even more to over 126%, more than double

the debt limit allowed under the eu stability and growth pact. italy continues to struggle under the weight of recession. that has also pulled down its economic outputs. media reports in germany say the country's biggest bank, deutsche bank, has suspended several traders at -- over allegations of fraudulent activities. >> this is aimed at fighting climate change. deutsche bank is not commenting on the reports so far. >> but the new bosses have said they want a cultural transformation at the company, which as been overshadowed by accusations of -- which has been overshadowed by accusations of unethical behavior. >> since 2005, polluters have had to pay for their offenses by purchasing certificates. the eu-wide markets for steel to permits has allowed some buyers to -- forfor co2 permits has

allowed some buyers to skirt responsibilities. the u.s. authorities are also probing possible illegal transactions by deutsche bank involving countries under international sanctions, like sudan and iran. but the bank was also taken to court for fraud over the sales -- the sale of faulty mortgages. the bank has promised to change their culture. they have said that the anything goes at it of years past is over. they are going for a new era of responsibility and an ethical behavior. police have broken up an anti- austerity demonstration. >> they intervened after more than 200 shipyard workers stormed the grounds in central athens demanding back pay. police arrested several demonstrators.

their employer mainly deals with military contracts. the workers claimed the greek government has not paid its bills with the shipyards. we will be back in one minute with more. germany's real problem, which is demographics. >> stay with us for that.

>> welcome back. the debt crisis may be dominating the political agenda in europe right now, but ask angela merkel what problems really keep her up at night and you might get a surprising answer. >> the long-term headache facing angela merkel and other european leaders -- is it demographics? birth rates are so low in germany that the population is set to fall dramatically over the coming decades. >> that will make paying off your debts even harder and spur a lot of other problems as well. is the focus of a special summit

here in berlin. -- it is the focus of a special summit here in berlin. >> it is an example of a broader social trend. she stresses the need for a long-term approach to the declining birthrate. >> we want to have concrete answers by may of next year, but we also want to say that the task, as such, goes beyond the length of the parliamentary term. >> the german birth rate has been declining for decades. government officials have admitted that they failed to take notice of the trend. >> letitia's made poor decisions on this issue years ago and -- politicians made poor decisions on this issue years ago. future generations will suffer. the researchers say the population decline has become unmanageable. >> we have to make ourselves an attractive destination abroad.

we are in need of about 200,000 qualified people every year, and that will rise to about three and a thousand people in the future. -- 300,000 people in the future. >> even if they do come up with a plan, the reality is germany is getting older. >> aside from boosting the birth rate, germany is having to look at ways of adapting to a different kind of society. here is more. >> researchers at the university are using simulations to show what it is like to be old. this student is experiencing the impairment of a 70-year-old woman. how does it feel? >> sorry, can you speak a little bit louder? in a germans are getting older. that means that more and more of the population is experiencing limited hearing, sight, and

reduced movement. starting after world war ii, the graph of age distribution in germany shows more young people at the bottom and fewer older people on top, but it changes. but 2050, almost 1/3 of germans will be over 65. the research being done will help politicians and businesses recognize the needs of older germans. already, planners are adapting town centers to the needs of the elderly, providing more places to sit down and making things easier for those who are less mobile. shops sell products aimed at older people. and supermarkets are starting to cater to the elderly shoppers with lower shelves, visual aids, and even talking scales.

there is a huge difference in age distribution between developed and developing countries. the continent with the youngest population is africa. it is not just your for the population is getting older. the overall world population is also aging. that will be increasingly evident over the coming decades. by 2050, the proportion of over 65's in germany will rise to over 30%. brazil, the biggest country in latin america, will see a jump from 7% to almost 25%. egypt will see a nearly threefold increase in the number of elderly people. the united nations report says governments around the world must take in the age of their popping -- their aging populations into account. it calls for new approaches to health care, retirement, living arrangements, and intergenerational relations. >> we have seen the future. voters in bosnia are heading to the polls in local elections on

sunday. the ballot is widely expected to see an ethnic serbs become mayor of srebrenica for the first time since the 1995 massacre. >> for 7 years, a muslim has been mayor there. >> the mood is tense in srebrenica. people are nervous as elections near after weeks of campaigning. >> many here -- for the first time since the end of the war, the town could be led by one of their own, by a serb mayor. until now, srebrenica has been run by a representative of the town's muslims, the minority after the massacre.

the exception in the law no longer applies. many muslims are horrified at the looming changes. back in april, they lobbied the u.s. ambassador, hoping to convince him they needed a bosnian muslim in city hall to speak for their interests. they did not get what they wanted. >> the united states expects that whoever is elected mayor of this community will work very hard for reconciliation and will be working for all the citizens of the city. >> survivors find that hard to believe. >> just a thought of someone becoming mayor who is in part responsible for those events leaves me speechless. >> at the side of the worst european atrocities since world war ii, many serbs deny what international courts have ruled a genocide. >> what genocide? that was not genocide.

it was civil war. >> 17 years on, many survivors say the election outcome could silence the bosnian muslim voice of srebrenica. >> coming up on the good news for passengers who missed their flights. >> first, some stories in the headlines. hong kong has paid tribute to the 38 victims of monday's collision between the ferryboat and the other boat. they observed three minutes of silence. officials held a memorial service. the accident was hong kong's worst maritime disaster in decades. >> this year apostate of german unity was celebrated as far -- this year's de of german unity -- day of german unity was celebrated as far away as brazil. in 2013, germany and brazil aim to deepen ties. >> tourists in rome will have to

clean up their act. city authorities have announced the ban on eating and drinking at public monuments. the mayor says this is often. litterbugs now face fines of up to 500 euros. >> have you ever been denied boarding a plane because you're connecting flight was late or because of a strike and got a little more than a smile and an apology from your airline, if that? >> if you are flying to europe, you could be getting a lot more than that. europe's highest courts as the airlines must compensate passengers who are denied boarding because of an extraordinary -- highest court says the airlines must compensate passengers who are denied boarding because of an extraordinary factor. >> thursday's ruling in to give some relief to passengers left stranded -- ruling aimed to give some relief to passengers left stranded. the court also heard a case

involving spanish passengers who were denied boarding by iberia airlines. they arrived late for a connecting flight due to a delay in an earlier flight. iberia refused to compensate the travelers. the ruling says the airlines must now pay up to 600 euros or provide an alternate light. passengers are also entitled to overnight compensation. the new rules apply to all flights that start or land in europe. >> so, it's goodbye again to michael -- michael schumacher. he is retiring for the second time. maybe this time it is for good. >> he retired last in 2006, but the quiet life was not for him. he made a comeback two years ago. but it probably was not the earth shattering return he was hoping for. he has not won a race since. >> lewis hamilton is lined up to take his place. michael schumacher will have to

find something else to take up his time. >> michael schumacher is retiring again. it is the final curtain call for the formula one legend. >> i still feel like i'm capable of competing at this level and that i can go against the best. but at some point, it's time to say goodbye. and that time is now, so good by. -- goodbye. >> it is the end of an outstanding career. michael schumacher won his first title in 1994, driving for benetton, and zoomed to victory again one year later. it was his racing red ferrari that earned him his formula one fame, five world championships in a row. for four years, the red baron reigned supreme.

he announced his first retirement in 2006, but he returned for mercedes in 2010, but the magic was gone. >> needless to say, my drive is fueled by our ability to compete. at mercedes, we clearly did not achieve our targets. >> but michael schumacher is not want to take a back seat, so the red baron is parking his race car for good. >> asking what he is going to do now -- i felt a bit sorry for him. >> maybe he will be guarding. -- gardening. >> spending more time with his forces and his money. -- his horses and his money.